STUDENT COURSE EVALUATIONS: INSTRUCTOR EFFECTIVENESS AND LESSONS LEARNED
Abstract
Student course evaluations and a cycle of instructional evaluation and improvement based on student feedback have long been established as essential to the process of quality of instructional improvement. Even though much has been written about student course evaluations in four-year universities, the research on the use of evaluation data in two-year colleges remains scarce.
To address this limitation, this research examined how student course evaluations can be maximized as a tool for instructional improvement and to assist the community college administration in assessing instructor effectiveness, the quality of their instructional programs, and the learning experiences of their students. Conducted at the largest community college in state of Mississippi, this study investigated the degree of instructor’s effectiveness as reported by student evaluations and a relationship between instructor’s effectiveness and (a) the quality of their learning environment, (b) the quality of their feedback, and (c) the quality of their communication. The results of this study were deduced from 4,936 student evaluations collected in spring 2021 across the college’s six campuses (54.24% response rate). The positive relationships between all variables measured provides an important step in efforts to maximize course evaluation processes for two-year colleges. The project highlights the lessons learned from the process and implications for community college students, faculty, and staff.